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Whole decision: Denied

The Board has determined that the appellant may not be recognized as the Veteran's surviving spouse for VA death benefits, including Disability and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) due to her subsequent marriage after their divorce.

The deciding factor: The appellant was legally married to the Veteran for approximately 11 years but had been divorced from him at the time of his death. The remarriage provisions do not apply as her subsequent marriage ended in divorce, and she did not have a valid marriage with the Veteran at the time of his death.

Claimed conditions
Not specified in this decision
How they argued it
Not specified
Exposure basis
None
Rating
Not verified here — check the original decision
Decision date
January 15, 2015
Citation
1502110

This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Search VA.gov for the original decision (opens in a new tab) using citation 1502110.

What this means for you

A final Board denial may be appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, generally within 120 days of the Board mailing date. A Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence is a separate option. Another Higher-Level Review of the Board decision is not available. Check your own notice: this historical decision does not set your deadline.

What you can do next

Use your own notice and decision stage. A remanded issue is not a final court-appealable denial. VA review guidance and CAVC filing instructions (U.S. federal; reviewed October 7, 2026).

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